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Most unkindest cuts: Best online comments for Thursday

Kindness, understanding and restraint are three words that you’ll almost never hear used to describe the largely pseudonymous digital commentariat at OnlineAthens.com as they share their impressions of the world around them. And they don’t disappoint today, as they write about Bradley Manning, the soldier who leaked classified information to WikiLeaks, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and now says he wants to live as a woman; Nidal Hasan, the Army major charged with killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, who 17 women claim made unwanted advances or inappropriate statements. Let’s take a look, shall we?

-- “Wait a minute!! This is a classic move if ever I’ve seen on! Extreamly smart!“Of course he NOW wants to live like a women.“I’m sure Mr. Mannng would rather become Miss Manning because, as a man, inside those iron bars he would quickly become Bubba’s Booty Buddy.“Would you rather serve 35 years with men or women?”• “Normaltown”

-- “Nidal Hasan, I hope that the jury comes out and says guilty and will be shot by firing squad. Better yet hope they put your sorry arse in Fort Leavenworth, where you will be with other soldiers who may have different plans for you. If this scum bag goes to prison hope he is served a ham sandwich or a pork chop every day..”• “mcudab”

And on the Filner story, this exchange:-- “This guy’s a tool.”“ppensyl”-- “His ‘tool’ should be taken away from him. I say cage the predator.”• “nowheregirl”

Elsewhere today, a story on a fire in Kennesaw homeless camp that sent two people to a hospital for treatment of burns garnered this thought:

-- “These camps, both in and outside of Athens, are becoming a bigger threat to the homeless than the elements are.”• “OCCountry”

There were some thoughtful comments among today’s online offerings. For instance, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Jerry NeSmith, who is among the commenters willing to post thoughts under his own name, had this to say about columnist Jessica Johnson’s review of the new movie “The Butler:”

--“‘The Butler’ brought this transformational process that my generation lived back into my conscience sharply and, somehow, painfully. Hearing conversations about the movie in the lobby and in other public places between persons who did not live those years made me realize that, perhaps, our children do not understand how close our society is in time and progress to those days of ‘separate but equal’, which was certainly separate, and certainly not equal. They do not seem to understand how severe the Jim Crow south was. (Of course, injustice was not just in the South, but that is where I lived, so I cannot speak to that.)“Our children have not been forced to make up their own minds about what they believe or given the perspective to see that so many of our social ills have their roots in the injustices that are only one generation removed from current times.“I’m wondering if they are smarter than we were and do not need those stresses in order to move forward from here. I hope so.”• Jerry NeSmith